Garp's Boys
by Marky-Mark7
Summary: A one-shot of Garp training Coby and Helmeppo. Set back when they were smol. Around episode 68-69 of the anime.


**A/N:** Something like this has probably already been done before, but I just had this idea that Garp is training Coby and Helmeppo instead of Ace and Luffy. And he sees in them what Luffy and Ace could have been.

* * *

 **Fwack!**

 **Pwoof!**

 **Smack!**

"Oof!"

 **Crunch.**

The sound of wooden practice swords crashing against each other resounded around the courtyard. Some sounded harsh enough to disturb the surrounding bonsai trees under the blue moonlight.* Sweat and blood were sprinkled evenly over an eight foot diameter circle that was the sparring ring.

Garp looked on as Coby and Helmeppo sparred with Bogart. He held up another senbei cracker next to the near-full moon.

 **Crunch.**

Garp sighed. Coby and Helmeppo were doing well against Bogart: it had been at least three hours and they were still standing. Both were breathing heavily, but neither was backing down.

Helmeppo showed more hesitance, but in light of Coby's determination his strength was renewed.

"I'm gonna be an admiral someday!"

 **Fwack!**

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!"

Coby's determination led him to act recklessly on occasion, but Helmeppo's scolding brought him back to his senses.

"Oi oi! Slow down! You'll never get anywhere by getting beat to a pulp!"

"Mm-mm. Gomen."

They had a strange relationship, but they balanced each other like that.

They weren't entirely unlike two other young men Garp knew.

* * *

 _"_ _Gomu-Gomu no-!"_

 ** _Whack!_**

 _"_ _Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!"_

 _"_ _Luffy! You gotta learn to aim your punches if you ever wanna be strong like me!"_

 _"_ _Aye-aye! Gomen, Ace! Let's go again!"_

* * *

 **Crunch. Crunch. Gulp.**

Garp put down his senbei crackers and stood up. He cracked his neck ( **crick-cra-a-ack** ), rolled his "Justice" coat off his shoulders, then nodded his head off to the side. Bogart nodded in understanding, collected the remains of Coby's and Helmeppo's practice swords, walked out of the ring to the side of the courtyard, turned, and stood to attention.

Coby looked upset.

"Eh? Garp-san, we can keep going! I'm not even tired…" even as the words left his mouth, his eyes started drooping.

"I know. It's time for hand-to-hand combat practice."

Coby looked up.

"Your opponent will be me."

Coby and Helmeppo paled.

"E-eh?! Garp? We can't fight you! We'll di-"

"We accept!"

Helmeppo balked at Coby's ready willingness to fight Garp.

"Coby! He's a _Vice-admiral_! And only vice because he turned down the position of _Full admiral_! If we fight him, we won't live to tell about it! I'll never get out of this blasted chore duty. You'll never become an admiral. Everything will end here for us!"

"We have to try."

"Try?!" Helmeppo burst out.

"If we don't push our boundaries, we'll never get farther than we are right now."

"Maybe, but there's a difference between pushing boundaries, and jumping off the cliff! Who knows how many pirates Garp has killed in the field?"

"Are you comparing yourself to pirates?"

That gave Helmeppo pause.

"W-well,"

"Maybe you're content with being as weak as pirates. But me? I want to be _better than_ the cruel people. I want to be like Garp-san, fighting injustice. I want to put a stop to evil in this world."

Coby's resolution washed over Helmeppo like the tide: gentle, but unstoppable.

"Y-yeah, well… What, you think you can leave me in the dust? I can be just as strong as you, you know!"

Coby smiled. Then nodded.

"We accept you as our sparring partner, Garp-san." Coby repeated.

Garp smiled, dangerously.

"Did I make it seem like you had a choice, brats? Raaaahh!"

"AAAHH!" the trainees screamed.

Garp rushed at them swinging left and right. It was all Coby and Helmeppo could do to dodge and keep running. They split up. Garp's fist smashed the rock garden's stones Coby hid behind, put craters in the ground where Helmeppo ran. Even odds of two-to-one weren't enough to even the training ground.

The trainees regrouped, slouched over, gasping for breath. Garp loomed over them, and they cowered. Garp raised his fist.

Then, Coby seemed to change. He stopped quivering. His eyes were teary, but no longer frightful. He straightened up, daring Garp to punch him.

"Coby?" Helmeppo said.

"No. I'm done running and hiding. It's time to put what I believe on the line!" Coby moved into a fighting stance.

Helmeppo swallowed hard, then mirrored Coby's stance, albeit reluctantly.

"Heh," Garp barked. "Cocky brats!"

He swung.

 **Smack.**

 **Thud.**

Garp's punch could dent steel. It would have propelled fishmen and half-giants twice his size across the yard, through the pavilion wall, and into Sengoku's desk. But Coby and Helmeppo merely fell back on their butts.

Garp didn't hold back: he would never hold back on those who needed to be tested.

"Oooooh… Garp-san…"

"Ouch! That hurt, you old bastard!"

Greater men than these young'uns had fared worse. Garp was impressed at their resolve: that was the only reason they weren't human-shaped holes in the courtyard wall right now.

"Quit complaining, ya brats! You cocky snots are about 100 years too young to mouth-off to me!"

Coby and Helmeppo tensed up fearfully and ran. The chase continued. No splitting up this time: they ran side-by-side. Like a pair of brothers caught in mischief.

* * *

 _A peaceful day. Birds chirping. wind blowing. Trees basking their leaves in the spring daylight. A brightly-coloured tropical shirt._

 _"_ _Ace! Luffy!"  
_

 _The cry of a robust man._

 _"_ _Where are you?!"_

 _Garp was visiting his hometown and the only family he had left on his vacation. A sound caught his attention._

 _Faint screaming could be heard, getting louder each second. Suddenly, the bushes bordering the travel-worn trail rustled and Garp's grandsons burst through the foliage, a giant crocodile in pursuit. The strange trio shot past Garp and back into the forest._

 _Garp took a moment to register this information._

 _"_ _Oi! Don't ignore your grandfather like that!"_

 _And he was off, in pursuit of the crocodile pursuing his grandsons._

 ** _Crash!_**

* * *

 **Crash!**

"Wa-haa-aa-aa!"

"Come back and take what's coming to you!"

"Garp-san! You're too strong!"

"Damn right I am! Raah!"

Garp wondered where his grandsons were. If they were making friends. Gathering crew. Gathering enemies.

But he didn't worry. He trained them, after all.

* * *

*I don't care how romantic it sounds: moonlight is not silver. It's blue.


End file.
